The April 24, 2013in the city of Savar in Bangladesh, a building called Rana Plaza collapsed leading to the death of more than 1100 people and to the wounding of another 2500. The building housed five different factories of clothing, destined for the foreign market, especially fast fashion. There were signs of structural failure, highlighted since the previous day ignored so as not to interrupt the production of clothes in the palace factories. Subsequent investigations showed the worst side of the textile industry and the heavy consequences for the workers of what remains, even today, the main source of exports of the country. The Rana Plaza disaster still takes its toll on the shoulders of the survivors, who have to live with physical and psychological and difficulty returning to the world of work; at the same time, the pressures of international associations and institutions have led to an improvement in safety measures and controls in the production chain.
Bangladesh and the textile industries
Bangladesh is one of the leading manufacturers of yarn and clothing packaged products in the world, especially with regards to cheaper products and everything that belongs to the world of fast fashion: still today this sector contributes to82% of total exports of the nation, for a sum of 46 billion dollars.
The industries employ mainly women, who in fact constitute the 60.5% of the workforce and they are typically internal migrantspushed into the cities in search of sources of income for families in rural areas.
The working conditions are often precarious: in the so-called “sweatshop“, there is poor attention to safety e to the management of chemical products used for the coloring and production of synthetic fabrics. The impact on workers and the environment is therefore already normally high, and the risk of serious accidents is always around the corner.
The Rana Plaza case
The building “Rana Plaza” by Savar had been built and expanded, with the construction of additional floors, without the necessary building permits: Just in 2013 a new level was being built. The complex housed offices and a bank on the lower floors, while the upper floors were occupied by five distinct factories equipped with heavy industrial machinery.
The morning of April 23rd visible cracks in the building led to the evacuation of the premises. The bank and the underlying offices also suspended operations on April 24, but factory workers were called back to worksome with the reassurance of checks (never actually performed) by the authorities. Many of them went to work, aware of the danger, however don’t miss the “appearance bonus” monthly due to those who did not register absences for the current month: a reduced amount ($12-15), but still important for workers.
At the time of the collapse, according to several workers’ testimonies, some of the scarce emergency routes were closed (to prevent workers from going absent) or blocked by the accumulation of goods, trapping many of them in the ruined premises.
The precarious conditions of the building made it possible rescue operations are also difficult: the search for wounded and victims lasted until May 13, with a incredible rescue on May 10 of a woman, Reshma Begum, a more than 16 days since the collapse. What saved her were the food leftovers of some deceased colleagues and the rain that fell in the days following the collapse.
The consequences on the survivors
Unfortunately, for the workers directly involved in the collapse of Rana Plaza and the families of the fallen, the situation has not improved since 2013. The first compensation payments, aimed at around 3,600 people, arrived only in 2014 with approx $650 (50,000 BDT in local currency) per cover medical expenses and loss of income due to disability. Additional funds recovered from individual donations and from large brands have allowed the disbursement of more significant amounts over the years, between 1200 and 6000 dollars, for the families of the fallen.
A 2019 report shows how, after 6 years, several workers are still suffering consequences of tragedy: depression, anxiety, traumatic stress and suicidal tendencies they add to the problems of those who have suffered amputations or serious injuries which still affect the physical health of the person today, with kidney problems or recurring migraines. In addition to the economic difficulties, also due to the difficulty returning to the world of workthese individuals must deal with the lack of structures and professionals able to provide the necessary care.
The consequences of the tragedy on the Bangladeshi textile industry
The enormity of the event brought the plight of garment workers to Southeast Asia in newspapers around the worldmore than decades of reporting on child labor or frequent accidents had ever done.
Post-disaster reports from organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) or the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) demonstrated a reduced improvement of working and salary conditions in sweatshops after a few months, due to customer pressure (large retail chains and fashion brands) on factories. Even consumer associations and national or federal governments (such as the EU) requested greater commitment from distribution brands in the control of the production chain.
Regulations and agreements such as the “Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh” introduced as early as May 2013 led to greater controls on the territory of Bangladesh and audits by clients in local factories, to guarantee the compliance with minimum working standards. The rules for training were also simplified membership of workers’ unionsand increased the budget of the national inspection agency (Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments, DIFE).
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